Find out how popular the last name Sumaya is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sumaya.

Sumaya, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sumaya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sumaya in America

Sumaya is the 82908th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sumaya surname appeared 227 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sumaya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sumaya to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sumaya

The surname SUMAYA has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is believed to have originated during the early Islamic period, around the 7th or 8th century AD. The name is derived from the Arabic word "samaa," which means "sky" or "heaven."

SUMAYA was likely used as a descriptive surname, referring to individuals who had a connection to the sky, perhaps through their occupation or lifestyle. It may have been given to astronomers, astrologers, or those who lived in areas with clear, open skies.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name SUMAYA can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher Al-Ghazali, who lived from 1058 to 1111 AD. In his work, he referred to a person named Sumaya, though details about this individual are scarce.

During the medieval period, the name SUMAYA appeared in various Arabic manuscripts and records, indicating its usage among the scholarly and literary circles of the time. It is possible that the name was associated with a particular family or lineage, as surnames often were during this era.

One notable figure who bore the surname SUMAYA was Ibn Sumaya, a 12th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from Andalusia (modern-day Spain). He made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and was known for his work on the calculation of sine and cosine functions.

Another individual with the surname SUMAYA was Fatima Sumaya, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet from Persia (modern-day Iran). Her spiritual writings and poetry were highly regarded during her time and continue to be studied by scholars of Islamic literature.

In the 14th century, there was a village called Sumaya located in the region of Aleppo, Syria. It is possible that the surname derived its name from this location, as place names were often adopted as surnames during this period.

During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over much of the Middle East and parts of Europe from the 14th to the early 20th century, the surname SUMAYA was found among various communities within the empire's territories.

One notable figure with this surname was Ahmed Sumaya, a 16th-century Ottoman architect who designed several mosques and other buildings in Istanbul and other cities under the patronage of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sumaya

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sumaya.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sumaya was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sumaya has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sumaya was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sumaya, please contact us.

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